Might as well start this now. Not a hurricane yet, but expecting it to be within hours. I hate this projected path, looks too much like Katrina for comfort.
This is where we were: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/545791/
Here's NOAA http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Hurricane RITA - #18
I dont like it.. We re gonna to wait more few days to see where it ahead to. The local news here said we are gonna to have lots of rain this weekend but Watching Rita!!!
There's lots of people from New Orleans are staying in Houston, TX.
The Weather Channel is saying it could be a Cat 3 in the Gulf.
It seams there are more hurricane warnings this year than it usually is. am i wrong or it is just because i have moore info on them thrue DG.
They do usually tell on the swedish weatherprogram when hurricanewarnings are issued in the states because if they go northeast we get them as storms.
Keeping ALL my fingers crossed that this one will pass also.
Janett
It's gonna to be scary. There's cold front line coming..
Janett, there are more storms this year, It's partly the 20 to 40 year cycle of hurricanes, and partly global warming.
I heard today that this is the 4th most active hurricane/storm year since they started keeping records (sometime in the mid 1800's). It's looking like the Houston area could very well get some of this (I'm 30 miles north of Houston). I just keep thinking of the poor Katrina evacuees who may again be in an area impacted by this. It has to be scary for them.
Latest forecast track, 11 am
Oh no not again. This is begining to look like another Galveston Hurrican, seems to have its sights on Texas!
At least Houston is inland a bit so the evacuees from Katrina should be safe, but if they lose power in the Astrodome it will cause panic. Oh dear, I do hope the managers are getting prepared down there, and the generators are in place.
Here's a chart of the tropical storm wind fields. Looks like Miami & Ft Lauderdale will get some wind, and probably rain.
Pati
Out to the south of my house you can see a lot of grey clouds and rain activity. We just had a heavy rain here, but the sun is back out again.
Pati, could you refresh me of the stages of the storms and wind requirements for the categories? just briefly please, memory fails me.
Molly
Hi Molly, here you go:
Cat 1 74 - 95
Cat 2 96 - 110
Cat 3 111 - 130
Cat 4 131 - 155
Cat 5 155 - .............
Pati
okus, there are LOTS fewer evacuees still in the Astrodome complex, and they expect to have the last of them placed in some kind of housing within the next couple of days. Regardless of where they are, I can imagine all of them will be somewhat skittish about the accompanying weather.
Here's from the local statement out of Miami:
FREQUENTLY GUST TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE...39 TO 73
MPH...PARTICULARLY OVER MIAMI-DADE...MAINLAND MONROE AND SOUTHERN BROWARD COUNTY...
AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR TUESDAY MORNING ESPECIALLY ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY WHERE WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS HURRICANE FORCE ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTH PART OF THE COUNTY
FREQUENT
GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE CAN BE EXPECTED ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH MIAMI-DADE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT METRO BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES AS EARLY AS TUESDAY MORNING AND LAST ALL DAY.
ahhh well heck...looks like it's headed my way and I'm leaving town on Saturday. This is NOT good!
I used to live in Houston for years and years and it would have to be a really big hurricane for it to affect Houston very much. Rita is only a category 1...hopefully it will stay that way....but if it does, Houston won't lose their power. I'll be praying that is the case!
Update from the plane:
THE CENTER OF RITA WILL PASS OVER OR NEAR ANDROS
ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS TONIGHT...AND APPROACH THE FLORIDA KEYS TUESDAY MORNING.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145 MILES
...230 KM FROM THE CENTER.
Pati
newatplants, the forecast is for Rita to maybe a Cat 3 at landfall in the gulf, due to the warm waters there.
Crude oil shot up today on the Dow, fearing more damage to oil production in the gulf.
Y'all DO REALIZE that this track so far is almost identical to Katrina? Let's pray big time that the track doesn't follow Katrina once in the gulf.
This is really strange....we're getting bands here....bright sunshine, then blowing rain so heavy you can't see the street, then bright sunshine again. The rain is coming more frequently now. We didn't even get a good breeze when Katrina passed below us. Go figure.
Pati
Ah, thanks darius. I haven't watched the news since this morning where the weather dude said that at most, it would be a 1. A catagory 3 will cause a lot of wind and rain in Houston, still should not be a loss of power. We had a big one....Alicia or Alice...can't remember the name, in 1980, I think, and we lived in SW Houston (Sugar Land) and out of all the hurricanes of the 11 years I lived there, that was the only one that came thru Galveston to cause some damage and flooding in Houston. Galveston has had to endure so many enormous ones...there was one in 1900 that wrecked the entire town...and Carla...was that 1960? Anyway, the folks in Galveston usually don't mess around when there is a hurricane coming...they get out of dodge. I would imagine the mayor will send busses to get everyone out if the hurricane becomes worse...after what happended in New Orleans.
I'll start praying now!! Thanks for the updated info. Keep it coming!
Michelle
Pati, I don't have a good feeling about this one, just like I didn't about Katrina either. I hope it's just a knee-jerk reaction from the nightmare of Katrina.
That's what I thought too, Darius. My blue roof pales in comparison to what those poor people face on the gulf coast if this thing turns north in the Gulf. *sigh*
My son just called from Tampa. He's very uneasy about this storm. I think he will come home this afternoon for the night. He said we didn't know how to start the generator, and I wouldn't have any ice for my knees! LOL
Pati
PS Maybe if I had a gin and tonic with my Tylenol/Codein I wouldn't need the ice!
This message was edited Sep 19, 2005 3:45 PM
Michelle, the officials arranged buses to take folks from the Keys that don't own transportation, to shelters in Miami-Dade. Guess someone learned a lesson from New Orleans!
Pati, do you suppose it's because we oldtimers have more than a few 'canes under our belt?
Darius, I get that awfull feeling to. I really pray that this one is going away. You got enough to handle after the last destruction to get another. I wonder how the Katrina victims are gonna get true this threat. Heard on 60 minutes by New Orleands mayor that there was a person jumping from the dome killing himself and two policemen that also comitted suiside because they couldnt take it anymore. How are these poor soul gonna servive yet anotherone.
Even if I cant do anything to help you, you will absolutly have my prayers.
Janett
Darius, yes, so far they have it at a tropical storm, but it sure looks like a hurricane on the satillite pictures on weather.com....except there is no eye yet. Like you said, it will hit that very warm Gulf water and turn up some speed. It is at 70mph right now.
Here is another link to a projected path and it looks similar to Katrina: http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm18/projectedpath_large.html?from=wxcenter_maps
Praise God that something was learned from Katrina and that they have bussed people out of the Keys!
Not sure how old you (darius) and pati are, but living on the Gulf most of my life, I have endured a lot of them. A person gets kind of passive and has no since of urgency about them when you have experienced so many...I guess like some folks in New Orleans. They had made it thru so many...why run from them now? I feel much more secure being in south central TX now...but oh boy, we get some lovely tornados about every 5 years.
Michelle
You got that right, Darius! I had just moved to Miami back in the '50's when we had one. My husband went to the Keys with Southern Bell and left the house boarded up. Two weeks in a boarded up house, no A/C and two babies. That's when I learned about taking the boards DOWN!
Pati
It does look like lessons from Katrina have taken. Officials in Galveston are working out bus plans for evacuations. I also started a thread in the TX forum, asking people along the coast to let someone know their contact #'s, also gave the link to mystic's thread on the Katrina forum if they want to "register" their info with her. I know a couple of people on the coast and have given them my address and ph#'s, told them come on up to my house if they need to evacuate.
Pati, praying that you and the rest of FL stay safe.
Maggie, good of you to do that. Glad to hear Galveston is already on the ball.
Saint, you watchin' all this? You are right in it's path friend.
http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm18/gulfofmexicosatellite_large.html
Here is a satillite picture of the Gulf. Crazy thing looks to be crusin' towards the similar area of Katrina. Wouldn't that be a major drag for New Orleans, Biloxi, etc.? ugh.
Pati, let us know how you are doing.
Michelle
FL will be okay, I believe. It's what comes after that worries me.
edited to add: Michelle, I am 65 (well, in Nov!) and was born in Miami.
This message was edited Sep 19, 2005 4:10 PM
darius...65 years young!!! Oh my yes, Miami has had its fare share of hurricanes! I have friends in Ft. Lauderdale and they were plum wore out from all the hurricanes last summer.
If everybody's looking for town names to watch for other than Houston.... Here's just a few.
*down the coast between Houston & Corpus Christi*
Freeport
Lack Jackson
Port Lavaca (coastal)
Point Comfort (coastal)
Port O'Connor (VERY coastal- many co-workers of mine have vacation mobile homes here)
Victoria (where my apartment is) - About 60 miles inland, or so
Seadrift (where my job is) - Only about 20 or less miles inland
near Corpus Christi...
Rockport
Port Aransas (VERY coastal)
Living here, I notice that ALL of the focus always goes to Galveston & Houston, two major cities. Problem is, with South Coast TX, there aren't "BIG cities". Just lots of little ones, Populations 60k or less. Major news networks are just now making time to cover Katrina victims other than N.O., and I wanted to give everybody some "real coastal" cities to look for when they're watching news & weather reports.
Amen to that,darius! God help the gulf coast.
Pati:
You're a sweetheart. Thank you for thinking of me. Right now, all is well. It's raining now and there is an occassional gust of wind. I've closed all of my shutters except for two at the front of the house. I have my hurricane supplies packed and if need be, I'll load them up and in the immortal words of Brooks and Dunn "I'll fire up my pickup truck and let the horses run"! LOL
I just D-mailed our new DG'er on Andros Island in the Bahamas. The center of the storm will pass over there tonight. She did fine with Katrina, hope all goes as well this time.
Newatplants, don't let Darius brag about her age....I was 75 on 9/2. I am getting a little tired of having hurricanes for my birthday! LOL
We are going to do O.K. in FL. The Keys always evacuate the tourists early, the people in mobile homes come after them, and the old "Conchs" in Key West NEVER evacuate! Sunday they had 1,500 motorcycles leave, they were having some kind of rally there. That must have been a sight to see!
Pati
Glad you checked in Delecie! I know you flooded pretty badly in Katrina. I knew that cute new pickup truck would be handy. *grin*
Pati
I bet 1500 motorcycles was a sight, LOL. And, hey, I knew a couple of old Conchs years ago. Intrepid!
Andros, like S. FL will be fine, winds aren't high yet.
Angelsong, thanks for those town names. Yep, there are lots of other towns and cities other than Galveston. Freeport gets hit a lot. There is also South Padre Island where a lot of peeps vacation this time of year. Brownsville and others! I guess when I say Galveston...I am including all the coastal towns in that one big town. :)
Not to mention where Saint (araness) lives...Orange. She told me she is 12 miles from the Gulf coast. And it does seem to be heading her way. There are about 2000 evacuees there, I think is what she told me. She has been working hard for the Red Cross and with the evacuees. She is working herself to death I think. I need to send some Austin peeps to help out there b/c we had so many wanting to volunteer that we were being sent away. Of course, we have the lovely and talented Sandra Bullock who was volunteering as well as others...Matthew McConeghney (sp)...they were not volunteering together....don't want to start any rumors. haha. In any case, someone should have sent them to Orange, TX.
Pati, happy birthday late. I bet you do get hurricanes a lot on your bday. My dad's bday is 9/1 and he says the same thing.
This message was edited Sep 19, 2005 3:35 PM
DG subscriber jnana in Cooper City, FL just d'mailed me - they're under an H-watch starting NOW :( uuuggghhhh....
Dea